Dog books and pug parties and giveaways, oh my!

I really hate it when I get behind in my blogging. Unfortunately sometimes it just can't be helped. This silly family of mine needs attention now and then. Not to mention sometimes I'm just to tired to write after work. (blasphemy right?) I long for the good old days when bartering was a bigger part of day to day life. ~sigh~ I did finish the Dog Sense book. I kinda had to seeing as I have a deadline. (OK why haven't more of you entered my give away!?!) 

I know I need to write a review but it feels to much like doing a book report. I love reading. Writing reports, not so much. I will say this much, it is good. While I did find it dry in places, (which I attribute to it having been written by a scientist) it had some excellent info about where dogs come from and why that matters when it comes to training and behavior. It goes beyond that explaining canine sight, their sense of smell, emotions and brain functions. Then there is a discussion of breeding in this era and the problems that stem from it, (small gene pools contributing to limited genetic diversity for instance) as well as info pertaining to breed specific aggression. The information on raising a sound puppy was fascinating and explained why the first 3 to 4 months of a dogs life is so important. I think anyone interested in learning more about dog behavior will find the book valuable. It's a good thing I said I would give it away publicly or I'd be tempted to change my mind!
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Another thing I did was to attend a pug meet up. It was about a 2 hour drive from me at Carden Kennels in Bangor. I went so I could meet Jenny's former foster mom. Not to mention it was a Halloween Pug Party. Who can resist that? Despite the long drive it was fun. We ended up with a slight detour to find Jenny had another urinary tract infection. Thankfully she was feeling well enough to go anyway. I'm still getting used to my new camera so I ended up with a lot of bad photos. Sorry. Here are a few of the OK photos:

There were over 30 pugs in attendance. It was a blast to watch them all together.

Some really got into the costume part of the party.

This tiny girl (in the middle) was the reason Jenny couldn't stay with the foster home. Her name is Sophie and both she and Jenny (formerly Hannah to them) couldn't agree on who was the bigger bitch. Ironically Sophie is a tiny thing! She is like a mini Jenny! They did fine with each other at the party. Sophie also loves to work for food. I can see why they might not gel well together.

One really funny thing that happened was that I noticed Jenny begs for food, from MEN! She ignored the women there but two of the men were her preferred targets. I can only assume it is because my husband caves in to her charming ways when he eats and shares his dinner with her. BTW she is shown in costume but missing the crown that completed her princess ensemble. Yes, I have become one of those people I used to make fun of! Meh, I decided that life is to short to worry about what other people think. Besides there was a prize to win!

There were cute pugs everywhere. Check out the Pillsbury Dough Pug!

I gave away some Honest Kitchen samples and got to answer a couple training questions too. I also won a super cute framed pug art piece in one of the raffles. (to raise money for rescue of course) I'll have to try getting a good photo of it to share. Another thing I noticed is that none of the pugs played with each other. There was a lot of running around sniffing, and some chasing, but no wrestling. I just thought Jenny was to serious to play with dogs she doesn't know well. It turns out it is a common pug thing. A great example of how some breeds can have a specific play style. (which can also vary by individual certainly)
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On my way home I hit a Mr. Paperback and stumbled onto this gem:

I can't wait to dig into it. It blends my love of biographies with canine history which I'm expecting to be amazing. I have a black and white Rin Tin Tin movie on a VHS tape so I've seen him in action. (unlike some of my younger readers I'm sure) 

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I also finally finished the DVD by Pamela Dennison called "The magic of shaping".

It is wonderful. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know more about using clicker training to shape behaviors. I admit I am limited by my lack of imagination when it comes to training in some respects. This helped me see a few more options. I even picked up a cool freestyle move I've started working Jenny on. I'm sure I'll share video once it's polished up.

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Remember, the drawing for the give away is November 1st. Don't forget to enter!!